Internal-combustion engine



Patented Dec. 3G, i924.

I entre ege;

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CLMENS'B. NAGELMANN,^0F SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE. l.

I Application f rle'd March 1,- 1923. Serial No. 622,132.

tion engines, particularly to engines of that type wherein the power of the vpistons'is transmitted to the driving shaft by means of an oscillatory disk orequivalent device.

One of the objects of this invention is to mount this disk or equivalent device so that it may be given the oscillatory rotary motion referred to without necessitating the use of means for preventing any rotation of the disk.

A further object is to provide an engine' of this character with very simple valve mechanism for admitting motive fluid to the cylinders and exhausting .the burnt gases therefrom.

A still further object is to so construct the engine that the cylinders may be readily kept cool and the `valve mechanism kept cool and lubricated.

. Another object is to provide an engine of this construction having a valve head common to all ofthe cylinders of the engine and driven by the shaft, thus making for ex-l treme simplicity of valve mechanism, making the valve positive in its action, providing for ample valve openings, providing for a proper fit of the valve, and the valve being further so constructed that the pressure of gases acting on the valve head during the explosion stroke of any cylinder is in the directiontoward the center of the valve,

thus requiring only a relatively slight pressure to 'hold the valve head to its seat.

Other objects have to do'with the details of construction and arrangement o`f parts as vwill appear more fully hereinafter.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein p Figure l is a vertical sectional view through an engine constructed 1n accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a reduced plan view of the engine with the head removed;

rality of ports 28 disposed m the same Figure 3 is a similar view with the head in place;

Figure 4.' is a bot-tom plan view of lthe rotatable valve structure;

Figure 5'is a. diagram illustrating the operation of the valve.

Referringto these drawings, it will be seen that my engine comprises a plurality of cylinders l0 arranged in a series con- .centric to a common: center and, as illustrated, these cylinders may be formed in an engine block 11 of any suitable character. Water spaces 12 will be formed between the cylinders in the engine block in any suitable manner` so 'as to permit a circulation of water for the purpose of keeping the engine cool. The cylinder block is shown as formed with .a central, vertical passage 13. The lower ends of the cylinders areopen, and operating within the cylinders are the pistons 14. having the piston or connecting rods 15. The upper ends of the cylinders are formed 'by a cylinder head 16. This head is formed with a plurality of chambers 17, one foreach cylinder 10, each chamber having an opening 28 to the corresponding cylinder. The inner face of the head 16 is downwardly and centrally beveled at 19, and opening'through this beveled face is a port 20. This head 16 is held to the engine block in any suitable manner, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Operating within the head 16 is a valve sof head 22 having a downwardly and centrally beveled peripheral face bearing against and rotating against the face 19. This valve head 22, as illustrated more particularly in Figure 4,- is formed with a central chamber 23 communicating with an upstanding central pipe or duct 24 and exterior to the 'chamber 23 there is a circular concentric chamber 25 which communicates with the space 26 between the pipe 24 and the exterior t pipe 27. This exterior pipe 27 has a which communicate with an annular c amber 29, in turn in communication with the carbureter by means of the pipe- $30.l The central pipe 24 constitutes an exhaust passage, while the annular space 26 constitutes an inlet passage.

. The inletchamber 25-of the valve head has leading'from it a plurality of radially ex-v tending intake passages 31 which open upon uctsl of combustion from the several cyl-k inders.

Assuming that there are eleven cylinder the number ofpairs of ports 32 and 34 will Abe equal to the number of cylinders plus one divided by two. Thus in an eleven-cylinder engine, the number ofv pairs of ports 32 and 34 would be six, in a five-cylinder` engine it would be three, etc. j

By reference to Figure 4, it will be seen that the exhaust port 34 of each pair is disposed immediately forward of the intake lport 32 of the corresponding pair and that then there is a relatively long space between this inlet port and the exhaust port of the next adjacent pair. It will be seen that when the .exhaust port of the valve coincides with the port 20 of a cylinder that the products of combustion will be forced out of saidV port by the inward movement of the piston and that then immediately the piston has reachedits innermost position and is about to more outward, the inlet port 32 will move into coincidence with the port 20 and a charge will be drawn into the cylinder. The port passes the port-20, the piston is then given its compression stroke and firing stroke,I whereupon the `next exhaust port arrives over the port 20 and the consecutive exhaust and intake stro-kes occur.

It will be seen-by the diagram in Figure 5 that when one of the cylinders a is on its intake stroke and the valve corresponding thereto is fully opened, the next adjacent cylinder b is on its working stroke, the next adjacent cylinder c -islbeginning its intake stroke, the next cylinder d is on its working stroke, the cylinder e is three-quarters through its exhaust stroke, the cylinder f is compressing, the cylinder -g is on the first half of its exhaust stroke, the cylinder h is compressing, cylinder z' is at the beginning of its exhaust stroke, the cylinder y' ending its intake stroke, and the cylinder lf: is on its working stroke. The manner in which the valve head '22 functions will be obvious from Figure 5. Y-

`1t may be remarked that the speed of revolution of the valve head 22 is equal to one divided by the number of cylinders plus one, that is in an eleven-cylinder engine the speed'of the valve head 22 would be equal to one-twelfth of the speed of the main or drive shaft of the engine.

Extending through the central passage 13 -end the drive shaft carries an outwardly projecting arm 36 which is relatively short and this arm`is connected by a ball and 'socket joint, bearing to a trunnion on the upper end of a shaft section 37.v This shaft sec- -tion carries a disk 38 and the lower end of the shaft section'is connected by a universal joint 39 to a vertical post 40 extending upward from the base 41 and held from any Irotation or other movement. This universal joint may be of any suitable character. The piston rods 15 of the4 several pistons "14 are connected-equi-distantly to the margin of 'this disk as, forfinstance, by the ball and socket or universal joint connection 42. Thus it will be-obvious that as the pistons move outward upon-the explosion -stroke they will cause an oscillatory movement of the disk 38 and the upper end of the axis of the disk will move around the shaft 35 in a circle whose radius is equal to the length of thearm 36. Thus at any position of the arm 36 the disk will be inclined to the honizontal. Those pistons which are connected rto the uppermost portions of the disk will be projected intov the cylinders, while those pistons whichare connected to the lowermost portions of .the disk will be fully reA gyration of the disk under the action of the pistons will cause the rotation of the main shaft 35. 'This main shaft is designed tobe connected to the valve head 22 in any .suitable manner so as to secure a speedfor the valve head, 22 of one-sixth of that of the shaft.

Any 'suitable gearing may be used 'for this purpose, butl I have illustrated the main shaft 35 as carrying a'gear vwheel 43 of relatively small'size which meshes with a gear wheel 44 three times the size of the gear wheel 43. This gear wheel. 44 is mounted upon a lshaft 45. This shaft carries a gear wheel 46, which in turn meshes with the gear wheel 47 carried by or operatively engaged with the rotatable valve head, this ,gear 47 being Vtwice the size of the gear kwheel 4 6. Thus thevalve head will have a speed of one-sixth of the speed of rotation of the shaft 35,

The'face of this valve head 22 will be formed with the oil grooves 48 whereby the valve head maybe lubricated and means will, of course, be provided for securing the cir. culation of water through the engine block in thev water spacesA between the several cylinders. The usual ignition mechanism will be used for igniting the charges withiny tion. It is to be particularly noted thanthe beveled or conical face of the valve head 22 can be of any desiredvdepth and inclination so as to permit relatively long valve o enings to be usedl and, therefore, secure ree passage ofthe gases. During an explosion stroke, the pressure of the gases against the valve head is in the direction of the center of the cone so that there is comparatively slight tendency toi lift the valve head and this may be readily resisted by a Acomparatively weak spring A49 bearing down on the head and urging it to its seat. This s ring will keep the valve head in air-tigt contact with its.

seat. Furthermore, inasmuch as the valve head is constantly rotating in its seat, t-he seating of the valve head'against its seat will improve with use. A

It will be seen that the valve mechanism is extremely simple, that one valve head may be used for any number of'cylinders, that this-valve is positively actuated, and provides for ample valve openings and thus ample inlet and discharge, that the shape of the valve head lends itself to lubrication and cooling and that its slow rate of revolution prevents undue wear. It is also to be particularly noted as one of t-he advantages of this type of engine that. one of the greatest causes of friction in engines is avoided, that is the greatest part of the friction of the piston against the cylinder wall is eliminated. This permits a relatively long stroke of the piston without vits usual drawbacks and limitations. vThis is due to the fact that the connecting rod 15 never takes any extremely angular position with refer- `ence to the axis of `the cylinder. The lower end of the' piston rod Vtakes a slightly angular relation, tothe axis of the cylinder, but that is all. This is a very important feature lof the invention and makes for economy of operation,

I Clo-not wish to be limited to the details of construction except as defined in theappended claims.

'1.' An internalcombustion engine of the character described including a' cylinder block-formed to provide a plurality of cylinders disposed concentrically to a common axis andparallel. to each other, each cylinder having a port at one end, pistons operating within the cylinders, piston rods, a shaft with which the piston rods are operatively connected to rotate it, an annular head for the Acylinder block having a centrally, downwardly and inwardly inclined seat formed with ports, one for each cyltatable valve head having a centrally l-inclined peripheral face fitting said seat and formed to provide a plurality of pairs of ports, one port of each pair constituting an exhaust port and the other an intake porn-the head having a plurality.

of radial ducts communicating with said ports," a pair of yconcentric chambers into inder, and opening upon-l thel seat, a rowhich said ducts open, axially disposed, con- `centric, tubular members into which said chambersop'en, one of said tubular members being connected to a source of fuel, and

means operatively connected. to the ,driving shaft for rotating said head.`

2. In lan internal combustion engine of the character described, a central shaft, a series of cylinders disposed concentric to. the shaft, pistons operating within the lcylinders and having piston rods, a supportextending in axial alignment with the shaft, a wabbling shaft section having a universa joint connection to the support and flexibly connected at its opposite end to the arm on the shaft, a member carriedby said shaft section to which thev piston rods are flexibly connected at equi-distant points, a cylinder head .common to all ofthe cylindersl and extending over l.one endthereof, the cylinder head having aV seriesof circumferential chambers registering with the several cylinders, the head having a centrally inclined inner face, there being a port-opening from each cylinder to the inclined face of ythe head, a rotatable valve head mounted in the cylinder head and having an inclined peripheral face formed lto provide a plurality of pairs of ports adapted to lregister c -with the dports in the cylinder head, the

valve hea being formed to provide a plurality ofradial ducts extending from said ports and to provide a pair of concentric chambers into which the ports respectively open, concentric tubular members extending laxiallyffrom the chambers, one of said tubular members being connected to a source- -of fuel, and means operatively connecting the'valve head to the shaft and driving the valve head at aspeed less than that of the shaft. i

3. In an internal combustion engine of the character described, a series of cylinders disposed' in parallel relation and around a central axis common to all o-f the c linders, pistons operating within the. cylin ers and having piston rods, the upper ends of each cylinder having a downwardly and inwardly inclined Wall, there being a port opening' through saidwall for each cylinder,

a rotatable valve head mounted in the 4cyl-v inder head and common to all .of said cylinders and having an inclined peripheral face ground to fit upon the inclined faces ofthefupper ends of the cylinders, ,the

concentric to the common axis of the cylinders and into which said ports respectively open, one of said chambers having means whereby it may be connected to a source of fuel and the other chamber constituting an exhaust passage, and means for operatively driving the valve head from the engine.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

CLEMENS B. NAGELMANN, M. D. 

